Evaluations
by Arus
Summary: A collection of One shots that looks into the personal lives of the Voltron Force. Presented as a converastion between Princess Allura and Admiral Benson, as the yearly Evaluations have come up.
1. Prologue

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Evaluations  
Arus  
arus-dot-geo-at-yahoo-dot-com

Voltron and its characters are owned by World Event's Productions.  
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Authors Note: I had the sudden inspiration to start writing some one-shots to delve into the history and personalities of our favorite 5 member team. So, this is actually not part of the "world" I've created in my previous and current Fanction, found here at This will be a collection of a look into each team member's history, and flesh out who they are, and what made them the characters they are now. My interpretation of their lives, and what could have happened to shape them to who they are now.

So, character names are different than the ones that have appeared in my other stories. This takes place about 1 year after the arrival of the team to Planet Arus, and each are member is about 17-20 years of age. Allura is 17, and Pidge is about 13.

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Princess Allura smiled to herself as she watched as the Galaxy Garrison ship landed beyond the large moat that surrounded the Castle of Lions. Coran stood by her side, as they watched as an entourage emerge from the ship and made their way along the bridge that would bring them to the Castle.

Several of her guards stood at attention as the entourage came closer, and Coran stepped forward ready to greet the awaiting guests.

"Admiral Benson," Coran announced as the man from the ship approahced.

"Magistrate Coran," the admiral stated as he then came to kneel on one knee, greeting both he and the princess. "Its a pleasure to finally able to visit Arus; I wish I could have made a trip much sooner than this, and for leisurely reasons."

Princess Allura smiled. She had become fond of the Admiral, through their many communications with the Galaxy Garison on Earth, as he had fought tooth and nail to make sure Arus was not totally forgotten and the contributions that her planet and her people have offered to the Galaxy Alliance. She stepped forward allowing the Admiral to stand again as she took his hands into her own.

"No, Admiral, it should be I who has this pleasure," she said and kissed him lightly on his cheek. "I hope that you will find Arus as a home away from home. We have much to offer, and Im sure once we are done with our business, you will find reason to extend your stay to enjoy all that we have."

The admiral smiled. "Thank you, Princess," he said with a smile. He then turned to the 4 men and 1 woman who followed him. "These are the five cadets that you have requested. I've also brought along their files and information so that you can acquaint yourself with their abilities."

Allura nodded as she turned to face the five cadets. They looked a little nervous, but saw that they held the same look that 5 other men held, only a year before. Had that much time passed?

"Im sure we will be able to accomodate them in every way possible," she said to the admiral. She then stepped to the Admiral's side. "I hope that the 5 of you will also find Arus to be a home away from home. And in time, I know that we come to know each other well. If its alright with you, I have arranged some quarters made for you, so that you can take this day to rest. I know its been a long trip from Earth."

A young cadet stepped forward and bowed slightly. Allura smiled as he met her gaze, his amber eyes meeting her own blue ones, she saw that he possessed a confidence that would rival Keith's.

"It is a pleasure to be here, Princess Allura," he said as he stood at attention. "Its also an honor to be considered to be apart of your legendary team. I am Sergeant Aiden Fox , and I lead this team."

Allura slowly nodded. "Its a pleasure to meet you Sergeant Fox," she said. "Can we arrange a time tomorrow so that I can meet with the rest of your team? I would like to get to know all of you."

The young cadet nodded. "I agree," he said, he then smiled. "For now, I would like you to meet Sergeant Madison Rye, Sergeant Keisuke Suzuki, Sergeant Reyda Sifrai, and Private Lysyl McNamara."

Allura bowed her head slightly at the cadets before her. They saluted her before the Admiral told them to relax. He quietly laughed to himself as he turned to Princess.

"They are little enamored with the new assignment," he said quietly to her. "They may not look it, but this assignment has been the only thing they could talk about during the entire trip."

Allura slowly nodded. "I guess we are celebrities among the students at the academy," she said. "But, Im sure they'll learn quickly just how normal it is here."

She then turned to Coran. The older man cleared his throat and turned to two castle servants who stood nearby. "If it pleases you all, Admiral, I will see your cadets to their quarters," Coran said. "Princess, your father's old study is ready for you and the Admiral, any time you want to get started on those reports."

Allura nodded. "Thank you, Coran," she said. "Admiral, if you will follow me."

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	2. A Child's Loss Keith's Story

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Admiral Benson looked around the rather large room, simling to himself as he looked at the pictures that lined the nearby fire place mantle, and the rather large portrait of the royal family. King Alfor stood along side his wife, Queen Mairie the hand of the young Princess Allura. She looked maybe all of 5 years old in the painting, but it was probably a portrait that Allura herself held dear to her.

"Its the only memento I have of my parents."

Benson quickly turned around, smiling as Allura entered the study, carrying with her a tray with two dishes of food and two cups and a tea kettle. She walked over to a small table in the center of the room, and seated herself on the long couch before it, before taking the tea kettle and pouring the hot liquid into both cups.

"It was done shortly before King Zarkon attacked Planet Arus," she said as she looked up at him.

Benson nodded as he took a seat in a couch across from her and took the cup she offered him.

"My mother died shortly after the first attack," Allura said. "My father, in the last fight he had with Zarkon in the Valley of Zohar."

"I know it must have been tough, Princess," Benson offered as he took a sip from the cup. "Though, from what I see of Arus today, it looks like you're doing well."

Allura nodded as she regarded him. "I learned very young that we are who we are," she said as she took a sip from her own cup. "I knew that if I wanted to change Arus for the better, I would have to learn to fight on my own, and learn to trust others that they would want to the same for my planet. I was elated when our first signal to Garison was answered, and you sent who you could to help us."

Benson nodded slowly. "I wish, at the time we could have offered more," he said. "But with Zarkon's forces so close, and our own forces..."

Allura held her hand up shaking her head. "No, Admiral, you do not have to defend yourself on this," she said with a smile. "What you did was enough, for that time. You have given us the hope we needed, and look at us today."

"This is the only thing about my job that I hate to do," he said.

Allura met his gaze as she watched him pull out several folders from the satchel he was carrying with him. "Yes, it is that time isn't it?" she asked.

"I know that you are not familiar with all of the paperwork we do, but I will be more than happy to walk you through all of this," he said. "Which is why I asked Garison to allow me more time with this than it would be normal."

Allura nodded. "Its just another learning experience, Admiral," she said with a smile. "Actually, Im looking forward to doing these evaluations. After all, they have worked so hard for the welfare of my people and for Planet Arus, I know that they are deserving of any recognition they receive."

"And promotions," the Admiral said. "And I have feeling that all of them do deserve that."

"So, shall we get started?" she asked. "And Admiral, please, don't mind if we do go off on tangents, as Im sure that there is alot that we can share about each of them."

Admiral Benson smiled. "I do have alot to share about them," he said. "Considering that I watched over most of them from when they were only children. Since you've only know them for a little of a year, Im sure that there are some questions you would like to have answered, that you couldn't ask them."

Allura laughed to herself. "Yes, there are many," she said. "I've asked that we are not bothered, unless there is an emergency, so we pretty much have all the time in the world. So, whom do we talk about first?"

Admiral Benson smiled as he pulled the first file from the stack he had before him and opened it slowly.

"Commander Keith Yasuo Takashi," he said with a smile. "If you would like, I can give you sometime to read over the file."

Allura nodded as he handed her the thick file. She quickly looked at the rest of the files that were stacked to the side, and made a note that they were thinner than the file she had in her hands now. As she leaned back against the back of the couch she was sitting in, she slowly opened the file to be greeted with a small photo of Keith at a younger time. His dark hair was not its unruly shape he wore now, but neatly cut, common among the Academy cadets. She smiled to herself seeing that once the cadets were graduated, the first thing they probably ignored was the rules governing as to how one should wear their hair. He did, in tha same image, have the same eyes that she had come to both respect and sometimes fear about him. A seriousness was held in those dark eyes, and she wondered what kind of events would give someone so young, to look at the world as he did.

She quickly lifted the image up and read over the bio sheet that it was clipped to. Her eyes scanned over the neatly typed page, mostly about vitals; birthdate, age, height, weight, hair. Typical information that would be needed in a file of this sort. Her eyes scanned toward the bottom listing any relatives that would need to be contacted and breathed in slightly when she saw that none were listed. She scanned back to the top under parents, and saw two names listed and one name listed under siblings.

Parents: Admiral Kenshiro Hikaru Takashi (father) Commander Mae Ava Takashi (mother)  
Sibling: Captain Keitaro Haruko Takashi (brother)

A note was scribbled to the side of their names, indicating that if anyone had questions, they would need to contact Admiral Benson.

"They died on a mission, a long time ago."

Allura looked up at Benson when he spoke. "Excuse me?" she asked.

Admiral Benson breathed in deeply. "Admiral Takashi, his wife and son," he said then looked to her. "I guess he didn't tell you did he?"

Allura slowly shook her head as she flipped over the paper and saw another picture had been placed there. A family portrait. She placed the file onto the table before her as she removed the photo from the file and looked at it. An older gentleman stood tall and strong, dressed in his Alliance uniform. A man with sharp dark eyes, and neatly cut black hair. The grey of the uniform he wore, only helped to give authority to his look as he wore a slight smile, his hand placed comfortably on the shoulder of the young woman who stood beside him.

She, was a slight contrast to the young man, with amber eyes, and long auburn locks that framed her nearly porcelain white face. In her smile, she could see the loving warmth that she embodied, her eyes full of caring, for the man that stood with her, and to the two boys who finished off the image before her. They looked like a loving couple, proud parents of two equally handsome boys.

The older boy, who bore a close resemblance to Keith, if he wore his hair the same way, stood to the right of his father, staring intently and smiling at whomever was taking the picture. He looked to be about 15 or 16 years of age, already threatening to be taller than the man he stood next to. He too wore a Garison uniform, however that of a newly graduated cadet. Several medals adorned the young man's navy blue uniform, as he wore them proudly.

Lastly, her eyes came to rest on a very young boy, who looked all of 3 or 4 years of age. Smiling widely as he stood to the right of his mother. Unruly black hair framed the young boy's face, which gave Allura enough to know that this was Keith when he was just a child. He wore a simple white dress shirt, a small tie around his neck as he held onto the hand of his older brother. Though, she did not see the seriousness in his eyes that now existed in the eyes she had come to know.

"What happened?" Allura asked as she forced herself to look up from the picture and meet Benson's gaze.

Benson breathed in deeply. "Its a long story," he said.

"We have time."

Benson smiled as he took a sip from his cup and then proceeded to pour himself another one. "If there is anything you need to know, Princess Allura, is that the Takashi's were highly regarded Alliance officers, who rose in ranks very quickly that surprised many of us. I knew the Takashi's personally since I attended the academy with Keith's father. He was a gifted student, as well an excellent leader. And it wasn't surprising to see that Keitaro followed in his father's footsteps, even besting his father in many of the academy records set by his father. Keith was expected to do the same."

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Keith smiled as he watched his older brother spar with several students of the dojo they attended. Keitaro was only a handful of students who became grandmaster at a young age, earning the respect of both the students and other teachers who taught Kenpo Karate. Keith respected his brother for the raw talent that he possessed and envied him at the same time. He was everything that was expected of the son of the only person in the Galaxy Alliance history, to earn the title of Admiral before the age of 30. Keitaro was living up to that expectation and even surpassed them, in many ways that surprised even the highest officers of Galaxy Garison. Keitaro Takashi, was already a Captain at the age of 18, and one of the Alliance's best commanders.

After the small show, the class was excused for the day as Keitaro came to sit down at the dojo's doorway, smiling as he roughed up Keith's hair, who smiled up at him.

"Aniki, you're getting so much better!" he exclaimed.

Keitaro smiled down at his younger brother. "Its not as easy as you think it is," he said with a smile. "If you keep on being the lazy little boy you've been lately, you're going to fall behind."

Keith crossed his arms and pouted. "I dont get enough time to practice," he grumbled. "The examinations have already taken up most of my free time already."

Keitaro only smiled. "Ah, I almost forgot about that," he said. "How many more do you have to take?"

"Four," Keith grumbled. "Why can't they just let me in? Considering who I have as a brother and father."

Keitaro let out a hearty laugh. "Nepotism isn't something as seen as a positive thing, Keith," he said as he stood to walk back inside the dojo. And the Academy has to be sure that they are taking in the best students. Im sure you know that."

Keith turned around as he watched as his brother start to put away some of the equipment in the dojo.

"What is it like? You know, in space?"

Keitaro turned to his brother as he kneeled before one of the sparring mats. "Its quiet," he said. "You only have the sea of stars before you, and that's all you can think about."

"But you have seen battle?"

Keitaro nodded. "We may have alliances with other planets, Keith, but there are many who do not like what we do, or what we have to offer," he said. "But in time, as planets and their leaders learn that working together peacefully is the only way to resolve problems, we are forced to do battle."

"Do you hate it?"

Keitaro slowly shook his head as he rolled up the mat before him. "Its what I've always wanted to do," he said. "Its not all traveling in space and fighting. Sometimes, we get to visit other planets and see what they have to offer. Some planets are quite beautiful. Others, even more crowded than our own Earth."

He then let out a groan when he felt two legs come to wrap around his own and force him to the tatami mat below him. As he was about to sit up, he laughed when Keith came to sit on his chest and pin his arms to the mat below.

"Then I have to do the best that I can do, so I can become better than you! And then we can both travel into space together!"

Keitaro smiled. "Oh, is that all its going to take?" he asked.

Keith let out a scream as Keitaro brought up his legs and wrapped them around his brother, pushing him off of him. The little boy then twisted himself out of his brothers hold, slowly getting to his feet as he took a defensive stance. Keitaro laughed as he kneeled on the mat and stared at his younger brother.

"Dont hold back."

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"Ittai!"

Keitaro shook his head as he lifted his brother onto his back, and the nurse who worked for the dojo handed him a small ice compress.

"Keep it iced for the night, make sure no direct contact," she instructed. "It will swell a little. Keitaro, next time, please be careful. He's only six years old."

Keitaro blushed a little as he shifted his brother on his back and bowed slightly to the woman. "I'll be more careful," he said with a smile. "Anyway, father will probably give me a talk down when we get home."

"Well if its any consolation, just let him know that Keith's ankle will be okay in a week, just keep off of it for the time being and NO sparring or practice until its healed."

"Yes, Anko," Keitaro said with a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow."

The woman smiled as he watched as Keitaro left the small complex that was their dojo and head down the street. Keith shifted his weight, holding on tightly to his brother, feeling a little down for getting injured.

"Im sorry," he said.

Keitaro smiled to himself. "Dont blame yourself," he said as they walked down the quiet road. "I was the one who egged you on."

"Father is going to be mad at me."

Keitaro shook his head. "He won't," he said. "He'll probably just yell at me for spraining your ankle."

Keith leaned his head against his brothers back as he walked down the small street as it joined a much more busy one. "You're going to go on another mission soon?"

Keitaro slowly nodded. "Next week," he said. "This time I will be joining both mom and dad."

"What kind of mission?"

"Just an escort," he said as they passed by several tall buildings. "We're going to escort Ambassador Naris back to Planet Ebb. Very boring, but it will give me a chance to test out the new Alliance fighters."

"They let you test everything that is new," Keith said.

"Well, mom helped to design it," he said. "And she wanted to make sure that she trusted the person who tested it."

"Mom designed it?"

"Yeah," he said. "After 40 different design submissions. Hers got accepted over the thousands of others that were offered."

"Dad must be proud."

"Very much," he said. "Hey, when I return, and we have a successful test, I'll convince her to allow me to take you up in one."

"You'd do that?"

Keitaro nodded. "However, you have to promised to ace those four tests," he said. "Nothing lower than perfect, okay?"

Keith nodded. "Well, the next one is on science and math," he said. "I always do good on those."

"But the third is your knowledge of at least three other languages," he said.

"Mom's been studying with me," Keith said. "I know seven now."

"Seven?" Keitaro asked. "Well, I only know four."

"Liar," Keith said with a smile. "You know ten."

"I know four fluently," Keitaro corrected. "The other six, I only know phrases that were used in the tests."

"WHAT?"

Keitaro laughed. "And a few slang and colloquial phrases," he said. "Just enough so I could past the tests."

"Three is all you need."

"But what three, I didn't know," he said with a smile.

Keith looked around and saw that they were passing by one of the main buildings that was apart of the Galaxy Garison base here on Earth. Keitaro came to stop before the building and smiled.

"Just to think, Keith, you could be here in a few short weeks."

Keith slowly nodded at the building that towered above them. Flags from the different planets lined the outside of the building and the watched as a group of cadets entered the building as another exited.

"If I pass those tests, I can be the youngest to ever attend," Keith said with a smile.

"Younger than I was," Keitaro said. "You should be happy that they were willing to give you an exception."

Keith nodded. "I hope that I can do the best that I can."

He then heard quiet giggling which caused the two brothers to turn slightly to notice a group of young cadets staring at them. The girls smiled, then waved at the both of them, before turning to run back toward the building.

"Why do they do that when you pass by?" Keith asked, irritated.

Keitaro laughed. "You wouldn't understand if I told you," he said.

"Girls are icky."

"No they aren't," his brother said as he started to walk down the street again. "In fact, they can be very nice."

"No way," Keith said as he burried his head into his brother's back.

"But you like Michelle," Keitaro said. "Why dont you find her icky?"

"She's not a girl," Keith said.

Keitaro let out a laugh as he shifted Keith's weight on his back. "You like her because she gives you nice things."

"She gives you nice things too."

"She gives me different things," Keitaro said.

"You like her?"

"I like her very much."

"Mom and dad like her?"

"I would assume they do," he said. "Otherwise they would have said something to me by now."

"Are you going to marry her?"

Keitaro breathed in deeply. "Someday," he said. "That is if she still likes me."

"She likes you," Keith said. "Cause I like you."

"You're my brother, you dont count."

Keith smiled as he closed his eyes and held tighter onto his brother. "Promise that you guys will return for my acceptance ceremony."

Keitaro slowly nodded. "I promise," he said. "Even if I have to strap on a booster rocket to our ship, I promise that we will be there."

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Admiral Benson smiled as he stood before Admiral Takashi, Commander Takashi and Captain Takashi. It was rare that the Alliance would send a family to do a simple mission as an escort duty, but the missione would also entail the testing of Commander Takashi's new ship design for their fighters. Captain Takashi had the honor of test flight, which he knew would be the only qualified one to do so.

"We can only offer our thanks for watching over our son, Adam," Admiral Takashi said as he shook Benson's hand. He then smiled down at Keith who stood by Bensons side. "Now, you only have two more tests to take, so study hard, alright?"

Keith slowly nodded. "I'll do my best."

Admiral Takashi reached out and roughed up his son's hair as he kneeled down to him. He extended his arms to his son and took him into a hug.

"Sorry that this mission is taking all of us away," he whispered. "But its only a short one. We should be back in two weeks."

Keith nodded in his embrace. "Bring me back a souvenir," he said.

His father laughed as he held Keith at arm's length. "You be good, and dont give uncle Adam a hard time, okay?" he said. "Now, the next two tests are going to be hard, but I have faith in you. Remember, most kids who took these tests are usually much older than you. But dont feel as if you need to impress anyone. If you can't make it this year, there's always next, okay?"

Keith nodded. "I promise to do my best," he said. "Remember, my acceptance ceremony is in two weeks."

"We'll be there, promise."

Keith hugged his father one last time before he stood. His mother then gave him a hug and kissed him before standing, making room for his brother.

"Do your best," Keitaro said. "I expect you to be in the top ten."

"Keitaro..." he heard his mother exclaim.

Keitaro laughed quietly as he hugged his brother. "The hand to hand combat is real easy, which is what I have trained you for the last three weeks for," he whispered. "Just remember to keep cool and level headed. The examiners will take it a little easy on you, but that doesn't mean you should hold back."

Keith nodded as he pulled away from his brother. "I'll do more than my best," he said.

Keitaro smiled as he kissed his brother on his forehead. "That's from me," he said. "Good luck."

Keith nodded as he watched as his brother stood and joined his parents. With a last round of goodbye's, he watched as his parents and brother head toward the awaiting transport ship. Admiral Benson smiled as he took the boys hand into his own and they watched the last of the soldiers and crewmen board the ship, with the Ambassador following his family aboard.

With a slight heavy heart, Keith watched as the ship readied and slowly lifted off, with an escort of fighters trailing behind.

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Admiral Benson smiled as he buttoned up the small dress uniform Keith wore, adjusting the way it settled on the little boy's frame. His wife then walked into the room and handed him the small sash as he tied it around Keith's waist.

"My how handsome you look," she commented as she smiled down at the young boy. "Just to think number one in your class."

Keith looked up at her and smiled. "A promise is a promise," he said with a smile.

"Well, be happy that you only get to wear this a couple of times," Benson said with a smile. "Are you ready?"

"Fix his hair honey," Mrs. Benson said as she handed her husband a small brush.

Benson smiled as he ran the brush through the young boy's unruly hair. "Its about time we cut this," he commented. "But I guess we can have your parents address that."

Keith looked up at him. "Are they going to be there today?"

Benson slowly nodded. "Their ship is scheduled to land just before the ceremony," he said. "I've arranged it so that a transport is there to greet them and bring them straight to the Academy building."

Keith smiled. "I can't wait to see them," he said.

Benson smiled as he pulled out a small case from his pocket and opened it. "This is from the Academy, since you scored the highest on your tests. All top ten students are given this, so this one is for you."

Keith watched as the Admiral placed a small pin on the lapel of the boy's uniform. "Your father recveived one, and your brother as well," he said. "However, they both didn't get to be number one."

Keith's eyes brightened. "I hope that they will be proud."

"Keith, I dont see why they wouldn't be," he commented. "Okay, look we're running a bit behind, so let me get ready and I will take you down in a few moments. Dont move around too much, okay?"

Keith nodded as he watched Admiral Benson leave the small room to get ready himself. His wife then smiled as she walked over to him and kneeled before the boy as she turned him to the mirror.

"As much as Adam loves the uniform, he still has problems dressing in one," she said with a smile and started to retie Keith's tie. "Your parents will be so proud."

"I can't wait to see them."

She smiled as she looked in the mirror and grabbed the brush again. "I can remember when your brother was anxious about his acceptance ceremony," she said. "He couldn't stop fidgeting."

"But he is the best," Keith said with a smile. "And I want to be just like him."

She smiled. "Oh, I think its just best to be just yourself," she said. "And be the best that you can be."

"Elena."

Mrs. Benson looked up and watched as her husband walked into the room, adjusting his own uniform coat as he grabbed his tie. She walked up to him and did him the favor of tying it on.

"Go on you two," she said with a smile. "I'll see you both at the ceremony."

Admiral Benson nodded, kissing his wife on his cheek before he took Keith's hand and led them out of their home.

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Keith stood as still as he could as he looked out into the audience before him. There were 50 cadets standing with him, atop a small stand, each dressed in similar uniforms as he. The top ten students who placed the highest were set off to one section, and he looked at each of them. His eye caught another student, with caramel brown hair and sharp eyes, as he fidgeted in the uniform he wore. He remembered seeing him before, at one of his test sessions, since he was one of the few that grumbled about where he was sitting, and wanted to be nearest the windows in the room.

Lance Michaels

Keith studied him from the corner of his eye, as he stood only 2 away from where he was. He placed fourth in the top ten. He was two years older than he, but one of the few that were admitted who were under the age of 10, the average age that the Academy had let students in. The other student who was allowed in who was also uner the age of 10, stood just behind Keith, Sven Richardson. A quiet kid, who said more in the way he looked at you than what he actually said. Keith admitted to himself that he was kind of scared of him.

The ceremony began with the announcement by the headmaster of the academy, then followed by a speech by Admiral Benson. Keith smiled to himself as Benson acknolwedged the new recruits and proud to see the talent exhibited by the new class.

Keith looked out among the audience who attended the ceremony, trying to look out for his parents and his brother. There were over a thousand people in attendance; family members, acquaintances, all who came out in support of their children.

He couldn't see them.

He began to fidget a little more, and an uncertain worry settled on him. He constantly scanned the audience before him, hoping to catch a glance of those who were close to him.

Benson's speech had come to an end, with the audience clapping. Keith swallowed hard as the audience stood, which prevented him from searching the audience again. His attention turned to Benson as a two soldier's from the Garrison approached him, slowly pulling the Admiral away as another Admiral took the podium.

Keith couldn't help but start to feel a little ill. When he turned back, he saw that Benson was now gone, and as the audience settled once more, he frantically began to search the audience again.

The speech by the next admiral was drowned out by his own worry. Where was his parents? They were supposed to be here.

The time seemed to go by slowly from that point. Keith had searched the entire audience but he could not see them. The ceremony had come to an end, and as the cadets around him were excused, and started to mingle with each other, he found himself searching for Admiral Benson, but could not find him anywhere.

The attendants and cadets were then ushered out of the auditorium they were in, and the crowd had gathered on the steps of the Academy Building. Keith searched once again, but could not find his parents or his brother. Not even Admiral Benson.

He started to loosen the tie he wore around his neck as he seated himself on the steps to the building, watching as happy parents took their children home, for their own celebrations.

Suddenly, Keith felt alone.

Slowly, the number of people dwindled, as his fellow classmates left with their loved ones. Even the two he had seen earlier, Sven and Lance, were with their own parents. Lance had met his gaze and in his eyes, he could see the questioning there. However, he was quickly pulled away as his parents escorted him away from the building.

Sven was one of the few left as his parents were speaking with the other Admirals. Keith stared at him as the boy leaned against a nearby pillar, his arms crossed. But soon, he too was taken away by his parents, leaving Keith alone, on the steps.

Where were they?

The promised they would be there.

"Keith Takashi?"

Keith quickly turned around at the mention of his name as two Garisson soldiers approached him. He slowly got to his feet wondering what was going on.

"Keith Takashi, please come with us," one of the said.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Please, Admiral Graham would like to see you."

Keith's eyes widened. Admiral Graham was in charge of the entire Garrison base, and not many people got to meet with him. He slowly nodded as they escorted him from the building.

Where were they?

The promised they would be there.

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"Please, let me break it to him."

Keith could hear Admiral Benson's voice echo down the hall they walked as the two soldiers escorted him to Graham's office. He wondered what was going on. Why did Benson leave early? Where was his parents? His brother?

The soldier who had spoken to him at the Academy building lightly knocked on the door they approahced.

"Sir, we've brought the child."

The door to the office slid open and Keith looked up as Admiral Benson stood there.

"Cadet Takashi?"

Keith's gaze then shifted over to the older man who stood at the large desk in front of him. The two soldiers who had brought him here, were excused as Keith slowly approached the older man.

"I had hoped to meet you under better circumstances, cadet," the older man said as he rounded the desk and came to stand before him. "Your father and I know each other very well."

"Sir, what is going on?" Keith asked. "What has happened?"

"Keith?"

Keith turned as Admiral Benson approached him, slowly kneeling down so he could meet him at his level.

"We received a report from Planet Ebb, just a short while ago," he said. "Your parents and your brother had just left and were on their way back, when their transport ship was attacked by enemy ships."

Keith's eyes began to widen as he breathed in deeply. "What...what are you saying?" he asked as tears started to form in his eyes. "What happened to them?"

Benson slowly shook his head as he pulled him into his arms. "Im sorry, Keith," he said as he held him tight. "No one survived."

Benson felt the boy tense in his arms, as he struggled to free himself.

"No," he heard him cry. "Its not possible."

"There's no possible way, they could have survived," Benson said as he held Keith at arm's length. "I'm sorry, Keith."

Benson watched as Keith tried to fight his hold off of him, pulling away. "No," he nearly yelled as tears poured from his eyes. "No, you're lying. They're at home now, waiting for me, aren't they? They just couldn't make it today, but they are waiting for me, right?"

"Keith, please," Benson said as he reached for him again.

Keith shook his head as he moved out of his reach. "No, its not true," he said. "I'll show you. They'll be there."

"Keith!"

Benson stood as he watched as he ran out of the office. He was about to go after him, when he felt Graham place a hand on his shoulder.

"Benson, I'm going to have to worry about his future," Graham said as he turned to his former student. "The Academy has dorms that he can stay in, but I still need a guardian to look after his affairs. Admiral Takashi has always trusted you with Keith's welfare, so Im extending that to you."

Benson turned to Graham and slowly nodded. "I'll be more than happy to," he said. "What about Takashi's estate?"

Graham slowly nodded. "Its already being taken cared of," he said. "Please, go on. Before he does something that we all regret."

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"Tousan!"

Keith slammed the door to his home open, only to be greeted by silence within.

"Kaasan!" he yelled. "ANIKI!"

He frantically ran up the stairs that would lead to his parents bedroom and pushed open the door to see that it was vacant. He breathed in deeply as he ran down the hall again, to open the door to his brother's room, only to see that it was empty as well.

"WHERE ARE YOU!"

He quickly ran down the stairs, searching all the rooms, only to find it as empty as the next. He was now standing in the kitchen of their home, as tears edged at his eyes. He slowly fell to his knees as he cried, hoping that nothing that Benson said was true. Eagerly hoping to hear the their voices.

The sudden sound of a door slamming caused him to breathe in deeply, quickly standing as he watched as the hallway light turn on. He found himself unable to move, and could only will himself to walk toward the hallway. His ears hoping to catch any sound, any familiar voice to say they were home.

As he entered the hallway, turning slowly to the entrance of his home, Keith could see only one person standing there.

"Keith?"

"Michelle?"

The young woman slowly walked up to him, tears edging at her own eyes.

"Im so sorry," she said. "I just heard."

She was quick to catch him as he fell to his knees, as he began to cry. She held him close as she seated herself on the carpeted floor, slowly rocking him. She closed her eyes as he continued to cry, knowing that all that he had loved was now gone.

The door to the home then opened again, and she watched as Admiral Benson slowly entered. She nodded as he approached her, Keith having fallen asleep in her arms after crying. She slowly stood as she lifted him into her arms.

"He fell asleep just after I got here," she whispered.

"Thank you, Michelle," he said as he took Keith into his arms. "Im know this is hard on you as well."

Michelle slowly nodded as she looked at him. "Im leaving at the end of the month," she said as she slowly removed a ring she wore. "My assignment to Planet Keris finally came through. I think it came at the right time."

"Are you sure?" Benson asked.

Michelle slowly nodded. "I will be here for the memorial services," she said as she slowly wiped the tears at her eyes. "I know I wont be able to continue here, knowing Keitaro isn't here. I wish I could stay here to help Keith, but I dont think I'd be able to stay sane here."

Benson slowly nodded. "I understand."

"Please give this to Keith when he wakes up," she said handing him the ring she had just taken off, smiling to herself as she placed it in his hand and curled his fingers over it. "He didn't have time to let them know, so its better that it remains such."

Benson opened his hand and saw that it was small diamond ring. His eyes widened. "Michelle?"

"It was the night before he left," she said with a smile. "I gave him my answer the morning he left. I loved him very much, Admiral, and he was going to tell them when they returned. I can't live knowing that part of my life is now gone."

Benson slowly nodded as he looked at her. "If there is anything you need, Michelle."

She slowly nodded. "Just make sure that Keith grows up knowing how much his parents...his brother meant to everyone," she said. "If there is anything you need, Admiral. Please dont hesitate to call me."

Michelle sighed as she looked to the sleeping boy he held in his arms and leaned over to kiss him on his forehead. She then said her good-bye before leaving the home. Benson looked down at the boy he held, then scanned the now vacant home.

He slowly turned and headed for the door, careful not to wake the young boy he held. Reaching, he turned off the light, and the home was suddenly thrown into darkness. As he closed the door behind him, he knew it was the last time he would ever set foot in the home of Admiral Takashi.

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Benson could only watch over the young boy as the weeks passed by following the memorial services held for those who lost their lives on the transport ship from Planet Ebb. The Academy session had just started and he hoped that the classes and maybe the interaction with his other classmates would be enough to help him cope with the loss.

He made sure to have the instructors report to him if there was anything they would be concerned about, but he was a little concerned over that they reported nothing; that he was doing well in all of his academics, scored excellent on all his tests, but one instructor made it a point to say that he made no friends; and found the boy in the Academy's libraries or practicing alone in one of the physical exercises taught to the new cadets.

He was about to see Keith on that when he was visiting the Academy during a lunch hour, to find him sitting alone under a tree, with a book in hand, oblivious to the other students who played around him. That was when he watched as a young boy with brown hair had finally approached him.

Lance Michaels.

Admiral Benson smiled, having known the young boy's father, as they had attended the Academy together as well. He found it ironic since Loren Michaels, Lance's father, was Kenshiro's best friend and rival through their years together.

He then gasped when he watched as the older cadet suddenly pull the young Takashi to his feet and deliver a punch to the young boy that sent him sprawling to the grass below him. Another boy had come running when he saw the commotion, as he helped the young Takashi to sit up, then start yelling at the older cadet, his thick Scandanavian accent echoing across the field.

Sven Richardson.

Richardson. Benson couldn't help but laugh to himself, seeing how these three had suddenly found each other. That's all he needed. The three stooges of past found each other through their own children. Loren, Kenshiro and Bjorn, the three stooges who had caused many problems in the Academy as they did well on their work. Now, here were their children, Lance, Keith and Sven, as they argued with each other, over something that he could not make out.

He knew that Keith was in good hands now, and that Lance and Sven would provide the comfort and friendship he would need to get through these lonely times.

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"We never found out what happened to the transport, other than it was a Drule attack," Benson said as he leaned forward, staring down at the cup he held. "The few remnants we did find of the ship lead us to the conclusion that no one had survived."

Allura slowly nodded as she place the file on the table before her, having gone through it as he related the story to her.

"And what happened to this Michelle Townshend?" Allura asked as she leaned over to read her name from the file.

"She died while serving on Planet Keris," he said. "She and Keitaro were classmates while at the Academy, while he went in to military service, she went in to medical service. He had proposed to her the night before he left on that mission and she had said yes that morning. I could understand why she wasn't wiling to stay on Earth, only to be reminded of him, but her assignment had put her into the heart of an on going conflict between two warring nations on Planet Keris. She was caught in a blast, the destroyed the hospital she worked in."

Allura slowly nodded. "Did Keith ever know?"

Benson slowly nodded. "I told him just after he graduated from the Academy," he said. "I gave him the ring, that his brother gave to her. Told him that it was something that was dear to him, and he should keep it close. I dont know if he still has it."

"So he has no other family on Earth?"

Benson shook his head. "Both sets of grandparents died before he was born," he said, he then smiled to himself. "You could say that Keith was actually a miracle child of sorts, considering the age gap between him and his brother."

"Miracle child?"

"When Mae gave birth to Keitaro, the doctors were afraid that if she had another one, she would not be able to handle it, since she had lost so much blood that first time," he said. "She was already 40 when she got pregnant with Keith, and the doctors were scared that her age combined with the knowledge about what happened with Keitaro, they were adamant about her getting off of duty, so she could stay bedridden while she was pregnant.

"Of course, Mae wouldn't consider it," he said with a smile. "She worked on all the way up to the month of his birth. No complications this time around, but enough to say that enough was enough. Kenshiro had to make sure she agreed to see that no accidental pregnancies would occur again."

Allura smiled. "And the age gap didn't bother their family."

"Apparently so," Benson said. "Keitaro was the big brother that he could be. He loved Keith dearly, and was pretty much there for everything they did. It was very rare to see them seperated for any length of time, unless it was a mission that he needed to do for the Alliance. In fact, Keitaro was considering in becoming an instructor at the Academy, so that he could stay behind and watch over his brother."

"Just so he could stay on Earth?"

Benson nodded. "He loved the space travel and worked hard to do so, but he was always a grounded invidual," he said. "And that's the difference between the brothers. Keitaro wanted to stay behind; Keith had always wanted to go out and explore."

Allura smiled as she poured herself another cup of tea. "You do know that he keeps nothing about his past in his room?" Allura asked.

The statement surprised Benson. "Really?"

Allura slowly nodded as she placed her cup down. "The only pictures he has are the ones that have been taken recently," she said. "So says my Nanny."

"I guess its his way of not being reminded of the hurt he had to endure," Benson said. "I dont blame him."

Allura looked down at the file before her and slowly removed the picture of the family portrait. "May I?" she asked.

Benson looked down and slowly nodded. "I have more copies back on Earth," he said. "Hoping that one day he'd ask for them."

Allura nodded. "Now for my evaluation," Allura said as she placed her cup down, and retrieved disc from the stack before her. "This is of course, and combination of results as assessed by his teammates, Coran and I. I've also had two impartial reviews done by Dr. Gorma and one of the captain of my guards."

Benson slowly nodded as he took the disc from her. "Summary?" he asked.

Allura smiled. "Attentive, effective, intellegent," she said quickly. "Knows exactly what is needed to be done, and sees that tasks are done as cleanly and simply as possible. Not afraid to turn to others for help, if its something he is unfamiliar with."

"I hear a 'but', coming," Benson said.

"A little anti-social, preferring to drown in our libraries than to interact with some of the people on Arus," she said with a smile. "Dignitaries and of course visiting ambassadors seem to disinterest him, however he is very cordial when he is needed to escort them or to see to their welfare. When he is headstrong about something, sometimes it does take him a while to admit that he could be wrong about something, but then again, he hardly ever is."

Benson nodded. "However, he gets along with the others?"

Allura nodded. "Lance he is the most comfortable with," she said. "And at times, they can be each other's rivals. He treats Pidge with utmost respect as well as like a younger brother, and is always concerned for his welfare. Hunk, is of course, like the big brother for our entire team."

Benson nodded. "Performance wise, how would you rate him?"

"Above Average," she said with a smile. "If the Galaxy Alliance decides to assign him elsewhere, it would sadden us all to lose him."

"I see," Benson said. "I will definitely read over your reports when I do get back to Earth." He then paused for a moment. "And how is he working with you?"

Allura met his gaze, almost surprised by the question. She never had really thought about it.

"We get along fine," she said with a smile, though wondering if that was what he wanted to hear as an answer.

"So, even though he is the acting commander while piloting Voltron, you have no problem following his orders?" he asked.

Allura nodded. "We do get into our disgreements however," she said. "Though I do see the reasons behind many of the orders he has given."

"Disagreements?"

"Its not something I dwell on, Admiral," she said feeling a little uncomfortable about the line of questioning. "I usually end up forgetting what we disgareed about. Call it ego, call it stubborness; we have our moments, but what team is perfect?"

Benson nodded. "And he has no problems following your orders when you are not with Voltron?"

"We have our moments there too."

"Princess, you dont have to feel as if you are defending yourself," he said noticing the slight discomfort that passed over her. "Or defending him. These are just normal questions concerning the chain of command. Realize that you are under some special circumstances concerning the way things are happening here. I just want to make sure that everyone is comfortable with where they are."

Allura nodded. "If its all the same Admiral, I wouldn't ask for another commander to lead our team," she said.

"Just to let you know Princess, Keith asked for this assignment," Admiral Benson stated. "The Galaxy Alliance was actually against his assignment here."

"Considering what you've told me, Admiral, I can understand their position."

Benson nodded as he grabbed the file before her and closed it. She nodded as she leaned forward as he placed another file before her.

"Well, for now, you have nothing to worry about concerning Commander Takashi," Benson said. "However, we have much more to cover."

Allura smiled. "So who is next?"

"Commander Lance Erick Michaels," Benson stated with a smile. "Im sure that you have a lot to say of him."

"A lot you say?" she asked with a smile. "That's and understatement."

"So where shall we begin?" Benson asked. "Or do you want me to give a life history of our esteemed slacker?"

"Slacker?" Allura asked. "You've peeked my interest, Adimral."

* * *

To be continued...


	3. As Rivals Become Friends Lance's Story

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Evaluations  
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"Lancelot Erick Michaels, get your keister down here this instant!"

Lance cringed at hearing his mother yell his name as he was lying quietly on the roof of their home. It was his place that he would escape to when the burden of real life came crashing down on him.

"Lance!"

Oh boy.

The young boy let out a sigh as he slowly climbed back through the window of his bedroom, groaning that he had forgot that he was supposed to clean it up after the examination that day. Hopefully his mother wasn't angry about that.

"WHAT MOM!"

A young woman then appeared in the doorway as she held a slip of paper in her right hand, and her other hand rested on her hips. She glared at him, and he had to turn away from his scrutiny.

"What is this about causing a ruckous at the examination today?" she demanded.

"Ruckous?" he asked.

"Lance!"

He cringed as she walked into his room, waving a piece of paper in front of him.

"Says here that you had to be moved three times before the test even started," she said. "Saying there wasn't enough light and you had to be moved near the window."

"You know how those damn lights hurt my eyes after a while," he grumbled as he turned to face her.

"Lance, you're grounded until your father gets home," she said as she shook her head. "They'll be issuing the results later today."

Lance watched as his mother went through several shades of expressions before turning and leaving his room. With a groan, he fell backwards onto his bed and stared up at the rough pattern of his bedroom's roof.

"Why do you persist on making mom angry?"

He let out another groan as he turned to his doorway to see his older sister standing there, her arms crossed as she stared at him.

"Gennie, shut-up," he said.

The girl laughed as she slowly walked into his room, looking around as her gaze came to rest on him. "You cause trouble because you like the attention, dont you?" she asked.

"Oh, now you're a shrink?" he asked.

She smiled. "You know that test was easy, yet you caused a commotion," she said with a smile.

"I didn't cause a commotion," he said. A lie. "And the light did bother my eyes."

"Liar," she said. "Could it have been because of a certain other student who was there?"

Lance's eyes widen as he propped himself on his arms and looked at her. "What student?"

She walked over to him, then squatted at the foot of his bed as he sat up and looked at her. "Lance, you do not have to impress anyone," she said. "You're taking the exams at an age that many kids couldn't even tackle. Heck, you've got me beat by three years. Just measure yourself on how well you do. You are not competing against anyone."

Lance breathed in deeply as he looked at her. Then his eyes averted for a moment. "He was there."

She smiled. "I knew it," she said.

"He's six, Gennie," he said with a groan as he fell back against his bed again. "How the heck do you get an exception when you're six?"

"You're eight, Lance," she said. "Complain to me when you actually hit double-digits."

"Its favoritism," he said. "And you know it."

Gennie shook her head then took her brother's hand and pulled him off of the bed.

"Come," she said.

"But, mom."

"Dont worry about mom," she said.

Lance let out a groan as she dragged him out of his room.

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Gennie looked both ways down the busy street as she held her brother's hand. As soon as the light changed, they crossed the busy street then walked down a few blocks before heading down a less busy one. Lance watched as the scenery changed as they passed by several homes, then came upon an older Japanese style building. She then pulled him along the side of the building as they stared into the complex.

"What is this place?" he asked.

"A dojo," she said. "Come here and watch."

Lance let out a sigh as his sister then lifted him up onto her shoulders and they looked into the small complex. He watched as a young man dressed in a gi stood in the middle of one of the many rooms of the dojo. As he shifted a little, he then watched as a young boy, then proceeded to fight the young man. It was easy for the man to overpower the boy, but he saw that the boy tried again, and this time catch the older man in a hold that brought him down.

"Favoritism?" his sister asked as they continued to watch. "Believe me that no favoritism is ever offered when you want to join the Academy. Aptitude and skills. That's what they base their decisions on, and its very rare that exceptions are made."

"You mean he is that good?" Lance asked.

Gennie shrugged. "He does come from a good family," she said. "Keitaro is a respected Captain in the Alliance. His father, a respected Admiral. Unlike our family, he is growing up under the shadow of three people who've done well in the Alliance. Mom never went through the Academy nor had the intention to join the Garrison. Civilian life suited her best. And for me, I just wanted to experience it so that I could get a good job around the base. But, exploration was never for me."

"I want to explore," Lance said as he watched the boy then attack his older brother again, but this time, a little too forcefully, the older man had taken the boy into a hold, which caused the boy to fall back on his ankle. He reacted seeing the boy fall to the floor as he began to nurse it.

Gennie smiled to herself as she let her brother down. "I know you do," she said with a smile.

Grabbing her hand, she then turned and they slowly left the building to walk down the street again.

"So when are we being transferred?" he asked.

"Mmm?" Gennie asked. "Oh? Well Dad hasn't received the final orders, but it will be in a month. But if you pass these last four exams, then you'd be staying here."

Lance slowly nodded. "Planet Leydra?" he asked.

She nodded. "The Alliance is building a new academy there," she said with a smile. "So Dad will have to help oversee the final details to get it up and running."

"It wont be fun with you guys gone," he said.

"Oh, we'll visit often," she said with a smile. "But yeah, it wont be fun at all."

Lance smiled as she wrapped an arm around him as they headed for home.

"I still dont like him," he commented which caused his sister to hit him on his head.

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How Lance hated this moment.

He swallowed hard as he stared out into the auditorium before him, as thousands of pairs of eyes were now turned on them; the 50 or so new cadets to enter the academy. He strained his neck against the high collar of the dress uniform he wore, wishing to pull the heavy jacket off. He hoped that the academy uniforms would be a little more comfortable than what he was wearing now.

He fidgeted a little as Admireal Benson took the podium expression his appreciation of the new talent to make it to this years class. His eyes then averted a little as he noticed the young boy standing at the end of the dias they were all on.

The perfect student.

As much as he wanted to give Keith Takashi credit, something still irritated him. He stood perfectly still, in his perfect white uniform. Behaving so damn perfect. He let out his breath as he looked toward the ceiling then looked to his side again.

Something was bothering the boy, he noted. He was slightly fidgeting, not as much as Lance did, but he could tell that something was wrong.

The speeches came and went, with the audience clapping after every one, and then it was all over. Lance couldn't wait to take this coat off.

His parents approached him, smiling as they took him into a hug, his sister placing a kiss to his cheek. Words were then exchanged with other students and their parents, with his father meeting with a blonde general, who stood with his own son, as his wife stood close by.

Sven.

He remembered the boy from one of the examinations. He was a quiet kid, he had noted, but having heard the poor kid speak, he knew why.

English wasn't exactly his first language, and it seemed that he was just learning how to speak it. From overhearing the conversation with his father, General Richardson was a former academy classmate of his fathers, and sported the same thick scandanavian accent as his son had. His wife, the daughter of a Chinese Diplomat who had visited the academy years ago, and the General and she had hit it off ever since.

They were then ushered outside as his parents continued to speak with other parents and a few of the generals there. He let out a sigh as he stood near his mother as he looked around the complex that would serve as his home for the next 7 years. He then caught site of the him, sitting alone on the stairs that led to the building.

As if sensing his gaze, the boy had turned to "him", and Lance was quick to notice the worry the boy held in his expression. Before he was about to move away from his parents to see if he was alright, his father announced that they were going to join the Richardsons later that day for dinner and started to leave the complex.

Lance couldn't help but look back toward the building as his family started to walk toward the transports that would take them home, wondering why Keith Takashi, the number one student, would be left all alone in a time when there should be celebration.

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Lance slowly woke when he heard the raised voices from downstairs. He looked at the clock that sat on his bed, seeing that it was already past midnight. He let out a groan he got up from his bed and slowly trudged down the stairs, to see what was going on.

The lights in the living room were on, strange for this time of night, he said to himself. He quietly walked down the stairs and as he neared the bottom he heard the voices again.

"Are you sure?"

His father was speaking to two men, dressed in Alliance uniforms as they stood in the living room.

"We're sorry to inform you at this late hour, Mr. Michaels," the younger of the two had said. "But Admiral Graham wanted to be sure that all who were acquainted were notified, seeing that neither had living relatives."

Lance hung onto the bannister post as he watched his father run a hand through his hair.

"What of their son?"

"He is going to be under the care of Admiral Benson," the older one stated. "However, Graham wanted to let you know of Admiral Takashi's wishes."

Takashi? Lance asked himself.

"Im about to leave for Planet Leydra at the end of the month," his father said.

"Admiral Graham has requested a postponement in light of recent events," the older one said. "We are truly sorry, Admiral. We know how close you and Admiral Takashi were."

He saw his father nod and breathe in deeply. "Please let Graham know that Im aware of Kenshiro's wishes, and I will see that everything is taken cared of."

"We will Admiral," the younger one said.

Lance gasped as he stood and raced up the stairs to duck into a room right at the top of the stairs as his father escorted the two officers to their door at the bottom of the stairs.

"We offer our condolences, Admiral."

Lance breathed in deeply when he heard the door open then close a few moments later.

"Loren?"

Lance heard his mother's voice echo up the stairs and he peaked out to see her at the bottom of the stairs as she joined his father.

"What's happened?"

"Its Kenshiro, Lisa," he said as he placed his hands on her shoulders and let them slide to her arms. He then swallowed hard. "Kenshiro, Mae and Keitaro were killed on their return trip from Planet Ebb."

"What?" her exasperated cry was heard. "How can..."

He pulled her into his arms and hugged her. "It was an attack, out of the blue," he said. "They were only on a escort mission, and didn't have the firepower to ward off the attack."

"Im so sorry, Loren," she said as she held him. "What about Keith?"

"Benson will be taking care of him and the dorms at the Academy will provide him with the comforts he needs," he said. "I just wish that this new assignment didn't take us so far away. Then we could be here for him."

"It'll be alright," she said. "Adam knows what he is doing."

Lance was now lying on the top of the stairs as he heard his parents slowly move away from the bottom of the stairs, their voices fading. He stared up at the ceiling above him, as he mulled over the situation in his head. He breathed in deeply as he got to his feet and headed toward his room.

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Lance eyed him across the class they shared. It had been a month since the session started, and he had Keith Takashi in all but one of his classes. He always sat alone, not bothering to strike up any conversation with his fellow students, doing the assignments that he needed to do and disappeared to the dormitory when the days were done.

However, he lived up to everyones expectations, being the class clown and causing a commotion whenever he could. Gave every excuse in the book about late assignements or being tardy, yet was able to do well on the tests that were offered. Vast contrast to the boy who he considered his rival.

Now, he stared at the clock in the classroom. It was going to be lunch soon, and today was the day, he would make sure that Keith Takashi would know that he wasn't going to be number one for very long. He then remembered the conversation he had with his father the morning his family were about to leave, for Planet Leydra.

Was it really a conversation? It was his father who mostly talked.

'I promised his father, that if anything should happen, that we would watch over him,' his father had stated to him. 'But we are needed on Leydra, so Im asking you to do this for us. I've talked to Benson, and it seems that he hasn't made any friends. Lance, you're the closest one to his age in that class. All Im asking is just to be there if he needs help.'

Lance couldnt answer his father at that moment.

Friends? Bah.

Soon he found himself on the field as lunch hour had come. He was there, as always, under his tree, reading his damned book.

Damn kid reads too much, he said to himself. It irked him, when he learned that the kid had passed the language exam with perfect scores, and he could only score 80 percent on his.

It infuriated him. And his father wanted him to be friends with him? How can this kid be so damned perfect? The familar admonishment from his sister wrang in his ears. He could hear her now, scolding him for being jealous.

Jealous?

Yeah, it was a type of jealousy, he admitted to himself. Oh, but he would have so much fun trying to topple Keith Takashi from the pedestal that everyone had put him on. He was going to make them see that he was just as normal as any other kid here.

This was it.

He breathed in deeply as he crossed the field.

He was human after all.

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Admiral Benson slowly shook his head as he stared at the three students who stood before him.

Sven Richardson, Lance Michaels and Keith Takashi. Each of them sported an injury of some sort or other, having caused a scene during lunch, it took three Alliance officers to pull them apart. Lance had part of his uniform torn, and a split lip. Sven's left eye started to turn several shades of purple, and Keith looked the most disheveled of the three; a sleeve was torn from his uniform and hung by its threads, as he had a slight cut over his left brow and his nose was now bandaged up. Lance had managed to actually break the boy's nose.

He couldn't form the words he wanted to say, as he tried to find fault in their actions, more than it humored him. It was nearly a generation ago, in that same spot with the previous Academy Provost, admonishing the trouble caused by their own fathers.

"So who started it?"

Benson already had known the answer since he witnessed the event take place. He could see Lance tense up as his eyes darted over to the dark haired boy who stood to his right. Yet all three remained silent.

"We can stay here all day until one of you admits to starting the fight," he said as he crossed his arms.

Still the same silence.

"Then Im going to have to issue you your punishments," he said with a sigh. He turned his back on them, surprised that neither would own up to it. "You are all to report to Mr. Williams for the next two weeks."

"Mr Williams, sir?"

Benson turned to Lance and smiled. "Hope you guys like to get dirty as much as you guys like to hurt each other."

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"Hard labor?" Allura asked as she met Benson's gaze.

"Well, not really hard labor," Benson said with a smile. "Mr. Williams was the Academy's grounds keeper. He had them digging two trenches and filing it up with different dirt for two weeks, only to have no purpose whatsoever in the task."

Allura smiled. "They must have hated doing that," she said.

"For the first couple of days," he said. "Then they all realized that they would have to get along in some way to make their punishment at least bearable."

"And since then, they've been friends?"

Benson nodded. "Couldn't seperate them if I tried," he said with a smile. "If there was trouble, they'd find it easily enough."

Allura smiled as she then let out a yawn. She looked over to the clock that hung on the wall and saw that it was already late in the evening.

"I didn't realize how much time has gone by," she said. She then reached into the nearby stack and pulled out another disc.

"Lance's review?" Benson asked as he took it from her.

"An assessment from Coran, the head captain of the guard, and I," she said with a smile. "And of course from Dr. Gorma for health."

Benson nodded. "Summary?"

"Loyal, intellegent, definitely a team player, effective and conviction that I would admire in anyone who served under me," she said. "But.."

"But?" Benson asked with a smile.

"Im sure that you know his demeanor, but for the record, he is stubborn, has a temper that needs to be kept in check, and so cock sure of himself, it is to the point of embarassment," she said. "However as bad as it sounds, it what makes Lance, the fixture we need on the team. He is able to see each situation, differently. As Keith sees it through the eyes of a leader, following rules as they apply to each situation, Lance is able to see it from a different view. Sometimes that view helps us to see something that could have gone wrong if we were to follow everything by the book."

Benson slowly nodded. "Duly noted, Princess," he said.

"And with that, Admiral, I believe its time we took a break, and continue this tomorrow," Allura said. She then smiled. "Who are we going to review next?"

Benson smiled as he lifted up his file. "Sergeant William Shawn," he said then noticed her confusion. "Hunk."

Allura smiled as she nodded. "Ahh," she smiled.

"Also, I would like you to give a review on Commander Sven Richardson," he said. "I know that he hadn't served long under you, but we need a record so that we can offer Planet Pollux a status for him."

Allura nodded. "I'd be more than happy to."

With that the two offered their goodnights before turning in.

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	4. English Lessons Hunk's Story

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Evaluations  
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English Lessons - Hunk's Story  
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William "Hunk" Shawn. Hunk. That was what he was known by when he first entered the academy when he was ten, because he could do what not mere 10 year old could do at his age. Eat four large pizzas with everything on it, in one sitting.

Hunk had enjoyed being the brute of his class. He would always do his best to impress the girls, and show off his "great" strength. He took pleasure in hearing their giggles and their hoots of encouragement. It made the academy life entertaining considering all the work they did. He did very well in the physical aspect, his strength making up for some of his speed, but he could never catch on to the book and paper work forced on him.

He hated them.

And the cheers of his fellow students, didn't help alleviate this feeling that he was not doing as well as he could have. He wanted help, but who would believe that the great Hunk, would need help in anything?

So he spent his afternoons, helping his uncle, who happened to be the Academy's groundskeeper, in making sure that things were kept in place; fixing anything that was broken, which could be anything from the communal toilets or to a simple light fixture. He enjoyed it. Fixing things, that is.

"What classes are you taking this year?" his uncle had asked him as they were working on a light fixture in one of the classrooms.

Hunk shrugged as he looked up at his uncle. "Engineering mostly," he stated. "Fixing some of the vehicles we are using. If I do good, then I'll be able to work on the fighters."

His uncle smiled. "It wouldn't be right without a Shawn working on something like that," he said. "Your father is the Alliances best handyman."

Hunk slowly nodded. "I wish I could do better on the other stuff," he said. "The paperwork is the hardest."

"Well, then you just have to work harder to see if you can do better," his uncle stated then turned to him. "Since you are good with your hands, then try and start exercising that muscle in your head."

"Easier said than done."

"William, if everything came as easy as the way you can fix old lights and vehicles, then the world would be filled with geniuses and would be boring," he said. "That's why we work on the aspects that we know are the hardest for us. It keeps the world entertaining."

Hunk slowly shook his head. "You sound like dad," he said.

His uncle laughed. "Cause we know what's good for our sons, William," he said. "Maybe you should ask one of your fellow students for help?"

"That's the problem," he said. "They are kinda afraid of me."

"Afraid?" his uncle asked then looked him over. He smiled. "I guess that would be a problem. You are bigger than most kids your age."

"Eh, I'll probably figure something out," Hunk said. "Always something comes along my way."

"That's the spirit."

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Hunk let out a sigh as he sat in his class, waiting for the teacher to come and start. It was his favorite class, so he always made it a point to show up early. He flipped through his book, reading over his notes he took the last class period, knowing that a quiz would probably be offered that day. He pretty much ignored as students began to pile in, taking their seats around him.

"What the heck is wrong with you!"

Hunk looked up when he heard the raised voice. He then watched as three students began to surround another student who was sitting not more than three seats down from his position. He already knew the three kids; Sam, Rick and Leslie. They were older than him, and were kind of considered the class bullies. They made it a point every year to pick on a new cadet to get them riled up or, worst, so scared that they would drop out.

The tried to do that with him when he started the year before, and they learned quickly that they wouldn't do that to him again. It looked as if they found their student for this year's round of bullying.

"Dont you understand ENGLISH?" Sam had asked grabbing the boy who was sitting in his seat by his uniform. "Dont you know that ENGLISH is what we all speak here. Now what did you just say?"

"I said, dat you would be best setting down," the boy they grabbed had answered.

"Setting down?" Sam asked as he lifted the boy out of his seat. "What the heck does setting down mean?"

"Im sorry, my english ish-- is not good," the boy said.

"You can say that again," Sam said with a smile. "Why is it you foreigners think you can just join up and be able to deal with us? Hmm? Maybe we should just box you up and send you back to where you came from? How would you like that?"

"No, I would not like dat," the boy said.

"Oh, I think you would."

Hunk watched as the boy cringed as Sam drew his right arm back.

"No!"

Sam was about to swing his arm, when he was suddenly grabbed by the back of his uniform and his right arm was then grabbed and twisted to his back. A large hand then came down on his head when he was forcefully pushed into the desk top before him, and a heavy knee pushed into his back.

"Ah Sam, I thought we had this talk last year," Hunk stated as he pushed the boy's head into the desk. "That it would be in your best interest to keep your hands to yourself."

The boy struggled under Hunk's hold as he looked down at the boy he had been picking on.

"You alright?" he asked.

The boy could only stare up the larger kid as he held down the kid who had attacked him.

"Now, I dont think he appreciated your little crass remark you said about foreginers," Hunk said as he pulled on his arm harder. "You do realize that my family is not from here, having only moved here 10 years ago. So if you want to start picking on foreigners, as you state it, then you better start picking on me first."

"Get off!" Sam yelled from under his hand.

"You owe him an apology," Hunk said. When he got no answer, he pulled on the boy's arm again. "Well?"

"Im sorry!" Sam yelled. "Im sorry."

"And the next time I see you picking on another kid here again, I'll be sure that this little arm of yours will go up on my wall," Hunk said. "Do you understand?"

"Yes!" the boy yelled. "I promise!"

Hunk slowly released Sam's arm and grabbed him by his uniform, shoving him into his two friends. "Now, as he said, sit down, the class will start soon."

The three boys then moved away and all the students who were around them quietly took their seats. Hunk smiled to himself, then he turned to look at the young boy who was the object of Sam's attack. He took a seat next to him, as the boy turned to him.

"So what's your name?"

The boy looked at him, surprise in his eyes. "Sven," he said. "Sven Richardson."

"Ah," Hunk said then offered his hand to him. "William Shawn, but most call me Hunk," he said.

"Hunk?" the boy asked.

"Its a nickname."

"What is a Hunk?"

Hunk smiled to himself. "Listen, that boy Sam, he will not bother you anymore," he said. "I know how hard it is, to be some place new, and barely know the language. You're awfully young to be taking this class."

"It..it is interesting," the boy struggled to say. "But a little hard."

Hunk slowly nodded. "Tell you what," he said turning to him. "My mother is an English Teacher, and she has access to learning materials that can help you learn the language. If I help you with your English, you want to help me with some of the school work?"

Hunk smiled when he saw the look in the boy's dark eyes. He then clapped his large hand over the boy's shoulder and laughed.

"I take that as a yes," he said. "We can meet during lunch and go over some of the material, and then sometime after schoo, we can over the school work. How does that sound."

Sven nodded. "Hunk you say?"

He nodded. "Yeah," he said.

"Its very nice to know you, Hunk."

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Hunk spent every day that year, with Sven, working through the troubles they both had. Through him, he was able to befriend Keith and Lance, however, they being in different classes, their meetings were always during their lunch hours. He found that the three were somewhat closer than most friends would be, and after speaking with Benson one day, he realized why they were close. He was already familiar with the tragic events surround Keith Takashi, but after researching in the library, he found the information about each of their fathers.

As fate would have it, he thought to himself upon the realization.

However, Benson had noted how Hunk had somehow became the 'unofficial' go to person, should a new student be acosted by other students, or needed help. As he looked over a file in his hand, he realized that he would be perfect to help.

And one day, Hunk found himself sitting in Benson's office, wondering why he was there. When Benson walked through the door, with a young boy in tow, he immediately stood to greet them.

"William, I want you to meet Pidge Lasser," Benson stated as he walked around his desk. "He is a transfer from our Balto based Academy. I want you to show him around, get him acquainted with everything here."

Hunk slowly nodded then turned to the young boy. He couldn't have been more than 10 years old.

"Where will he be staying?"

"South Wing Dorms," Benson said. "Here is a copy of his class schedule, make sure that you and he get to class on time, alright?"

Hunk nodded as he took the schedule from Benson and quickly looked it over. His eyes widened seeing that these were classes that would have been taken by a 5th year student. Classes that he was taking now.

"Admiral?"

"Its alright, William," Benson said. "Balto didn't have classes at his level, so that is why he was transferred here."

Hunk nodded then turned to the boy. He smiled.

"Pidge was it?" he asked.

The boy turned to him, managing a smile. Big round glassed framed the boy's face, and Hunk could not help but smile at how innocent it made him look.

"Y--yes," he said.

Hunk offered his hand to the boy and he shook it. "Look, you should be thanking Benson for picking me to help you out here," he said with a large smile. "There is no one on this campus that is going to do a better job than me. So stick to me like, glue, alright?"

Pidge slowly nodded. "Do..do you think the class schedule is too hard?"

"If Benson says that you can handle them, then I dont doubt it will be too difficult for you," he said. "Hey, do you like fixing things?"

"What kinds of things?"

"Oh, maybe the Trans W drive of a Aruca Mark 10 fighter jet?"

Benson smiled to himself as he watched the two boys banter about engineering and different engine modifications. After a while of this, he sent the boys on out of his office, with their final argument on which ship was the fastest in all of the Garrison fleet.

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"Hunk was a resourceful student," Benson added as he took a sip from the cup before him. "William that is."

Allura smiled. "Tough on the outside, soft on the inside," she commented. "So he and Pidge took to each other like milk and cookies?"

Benson smiled. "I see that our colloquial expressions have been rubbing off on you," he said. "Yes, you could say that they were pretty much inseperable those two years. Pidge was the youngest to graduate from the Academy, and his first assignment was to come to Arus."

"And Hunk was there for him all the way?"

Benson nodded. "William protected each of them, in his own way," he said. "With Sven, from those who found him to be too different because of his upbringing; with Lance, mostly from those he'd find trouble with; Pidge, someone who didn't go out of the way to please him, but treat him like the kid that he was; and with Keith, an older brother, not to replace Keitaro, but someone he could learn from. Learn that there is much more to life than books and getting perfect scores."

Allura slowly nodded. "Hunk has been that way with me as well," she said honestly. "I didn't have the pleasure of growing up with someone I could turn to, but Hunk's open nature and willingness to be there for you, is a quality we rarely see, now in these times."

"So you are quite happy with his performance here on Arus?" Benson asked.

"He's well liked by the team, he gets along fine with my servants, the guards absolutely love the way he works with them, and my people; he is very good with the children," she said. "Outwardly, he probably would have scared a lot of people, but seeing him the way he is, I absolutely love him."

Benson smiled. "If it weren't for his interest in engineering and mechanics, I would have offered him to move to becoming a diplomat for the Alliance," Benson said. "But politics seemd to bore him."

Allura smiled. "So does paperwork," she said.

Benson quietly laughed. "Yeah, that seems to be something he still has a problem with," he said.

Allura smiled as she reached into her stack and then offered him a disc. "Same as before," she said. "Reports from Coran and I, Dr. Gorma and the Captain of my guards."

"Anything in summary you want to say?"

"I wish we had more men like him on Arus," she said with a smile. "However, a little more polished on the behaviour and of course the social skills need to be touched up. Though I really think he does all that he does to spite my Nanny."

"Oh, I've heard some stories on that," Benson said.

"Oh?" Allura asked. "What kind of stories exactly?"

Benson shook his head and then smiled. "I would like to leave here, alive, Princess," he said. "If i relate any of it to you, I dont think the Alliance would be happy that they'd be losing an Admiral because of the ire of one Castle's Nanny."

Allura laughed. "Then we should save it for a time, when we're both old enough to not worry about nannnies," she said.

"Well, if that is all for William, then we can move on," Benson said as he looked through his folders and pulled one out. "Pidge Lasser."

Allura nodded. "So why was Pidge moved from Balto to Earth?" she asked.

Benson smiled. "Well, it was definitely a lot more to it than what I gave William as a reason," he said.

"I'm sure there was," she said.

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tbc


	5. Sins of the Father Pidge's Story

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**Evaluations**  
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Sins of the Father - Pidge's Story

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Benson entered Marshall Graham's office, noticing the older gentleman standing at the far window, as he overlooked the base known as Galaxy Garriosn. He then closed the door behind him and hung his hat on the nearby holder as he approached the Marshall's desk.

"Sir, I was told that you wanted to see me."

Graham slowly let out a sigh. "We are concerned with the recent activity by the Drules near the Balto System," he stated as he turned to Benson. "Im making a last minute decision to close up the Academy there, and transfer the students to academies nearer to Earth." Graham motioned to the stack of files on the edge of his desk and Benson quickly took ahold of them.

He slowly nodded as he looked over the files he held within his hands. "Why are there only 10 files?"

Graham breathed in deeply as he took a seat in the chair behind his desk. He then motioned for Benson to take a seat across from him.

"The student files you have are those that have shown up on Drule communications, that we've intercepted," Graham stated. "Its rumored that the Drules are now looking to see if there are any in our ranks that are capable of providing the Alliance with knowledge that could put us at the forefront of the war with them.

Graham then breathed in deeply. "However, there are two inviduals that have appeared in recent communications that have concerned us in another way."

"That is?"

"Lasser."

Benson looked down at the files before him, and pulled out two files that had the name Lasser on it. He slowly opened one of them and was surprised to see the face of a young academy cadet, who looked no older than 10. Big brown eyes, behind large glasses. He quickly looked over the next folder and saw that there was another young boy, around the same age as the first one.

"Pidge and Chip Lasser," Graham stated. "Both of their names came up on three communications between an unknown source on Balto and a known Drule facility near the Balto system border. We became concerned because of whom Lasser is."

"What do you mean?"

"Does the name Galvin Lasser mean anything to you?"

Benson felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand, at the hearing of that name. Galvin Lasser was a name that haunted the Galaxy Alliance no more than 10 years earlier. Galvin Lasser was the first traitor to the Galaxy Alliance, a man who was responsible for the death of nearly 1000 men and women that served under him, and the near collapse of the security that the Alliance held dear. Galvin Lasser had defected to the Drule Empire, leaving behind his family and all those that he betrayed.

"You mean.."

"Pidge is his direct son, and Chip his adopted son," Graham finished. "We became concerned with the sudden interest in both of them, and already confirmed that there had been an attempt on Chip earlier this year."

"An attempt?"

"Kidnapping," Graham stated. "Its all in his file. However, we were quick to react and we moved Chip to a higher security dorm and was escorted to every class he took. Then suddenly, Pidge's name started appearing on the communications."

"We haven't heard anything on Galvin in years," Benson stated. "Do you think that he is now trying to see if he can get his sons to join him?"

Graham slowly nodded. "It has become apparent that the boys are in danger, and we are now taking steps to ensure to their safety. The Lasser boys became our top priority once we learned that their importance hinged on the fact that they are both geinuses."

"Geinuses?"

"More than that," Graham stated. "They're both gifted. Both have accelerated and are taking 4th year level classes. Its become our duty that we make sure these boys are safe from anyone planning them harm. With that, Im transferring Pidge Lasser to the academy here on Earth, and Chip will be attending the academy on New Verona."

"Splitting them up?"

"I dont think it would be wise at this point to keep them together," Graham stated. "This way, we wont give whomever is taking an interest in the two, will slow them down, and give us time to see who is really behind it."

"Sir, do you think its wise to have Galvin's son..."

"Adam, what Galvin did to the Alliance was reprehensible," Graham stated. "But Im not going to hold the actions of what he did against his son. Pidge was only a baby when Galvin betrayed us and the Alliance. He never knew his father, and speaking with his mother, I dont think she ever told him what Galvin did. We can't assume that Pidge will be anything like him."

"Im just concerned over the transfer," Benson voiced. "If it is indeed Galvin inquiring about his sons, then he will also know that Pidge will be transferred to Earth. Chip to New Verona."

"We have the adequate resources to protect them both since they'll be close to the heart of the alliance," Graham stated. "Balto is far too remote and unsafe to keep them there, which is why, under the guise of closing the academy there, we will be transferring them."

Benson slowly nodded.

"I want you to keep an eye on him, Adam," Graham stated. "Is there anyone among the cadets that you can trust to see to the boy's welfare? Its reported that he didn't have much friends on Balto."

Benson slowly stood as he looked down at him. "There is one cadet that I can assign him to," Benson stated. "I'll handle everything from here."

"Adam, I dont want word of whom Pidge is related to, to be released," Graham stated. "There are many students in the academy now that were related to those who lost their lives under Galvin's command."

"I understand," Benson stated. "I'll do what is needed to keep things in order."

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Pidge breathed in deeply as he quietly sat in one of the chairs that were situated just outside of the Academy Provost's office. He swung his legs under it, as he looked around, pushing his round rimmed glasses up his nose.

Suddenly the door to the small office opened, and an older gentlemen stepped out. He smiled as he waved for him to come toward him. Pidge quickly stood, grabbing the small bag he had on the seat next to him as Benson lead him into the office.

"Pidge, I would like you to meet William Shawn," he introduced as he noticed another boy was in the office.

Pidge's expression changed as the second boy stood, nearly towering over him. The boy smiled as he extended his hand to the him and shook his vigorously.

"You can call me Hunk," he said. "Benson here asked me to look after you, and I would be more than happy to show you the ropes around here."

"Pidge, you will be staying in the South Wing Dorms," Benson stated. "William here and a couple of other cadets are the only ones that are staying in that part of the dormitory, so you wont have to worry about being subjected to a bunch of nosey teenagers."

"Thank you, sir," Pidge stated. "I didn't bring much with me from Balto."

"Its alright, Mr. Lasser," Benson stated. "The academy will be helping you out with what you need. William will show you around. YOu'll find that the campus here is a lot larger than the one on Balto, so stick by him until you feel comfortable."

"I will, sir," Pidge answered. "Admiral?"

"Yes, Mr. Lasser," Benson stated.

"Is it true that Admiral Takashi's son attends this academy?"

Benson was surprised by the young boy's inquiry, but slowly nodded. "Why yes, if you mean Keith Takashi," he said. "He is in the same dorm wing as you are. Do you know him?"

Pidge slowly shook his head. "I was just curious."

Benson smiled. "William, please show Mr. Lasser the way to his dorm room."

Hunk smiled as he turned to the young boy. "Listen to me, and you'll be able to get anywhere on this campus, blindfolded."

The young boy managed a small smile. "Everything is different here."

"Well judging by your course schedule, Im sure that you'll be able to handle it."

Pidge slowly nodded. "Do..do you think the class schedule is too hard?"

"If Benson says that you can handle them, then I dont doubt it will be too difficult for you," he said. "Hey, do you like fixing things?"

"What kinds of things?"

"Oh, maybe the Trans W drive of a Aruca Mark 10 fighter jet?"

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Pidge managed to stay with his assigned guardian for much of the first month he was at the Earth Academy. The boy had managed to help him through some of the tougher social situations, as he happened to be the youngest person in most of his classes. He was already accustomed to getting the stares from fellow students who ranged in age from 3 to five years older than he was. So far, Hunk was the only friend he made while on Earth.

Though, it was this day in a long while, that Hunk couldn't be there to help him, so he found himself sitting alone in the lunch courtyard going over his notes from his previous class. Leaning against the tree, he sighed as he tried to work through several calculations. It was at that moment he realized why Hunk was assigned to him when he first arrived. Why no one spoke to him at all.

"Pidge Lasser."

Pidge closed his eyes as he breathed in deeply, recognizing the tone in the voice that had called his name. Slowly putting down the stylus he was using, he turned as four cadets slowly approached him.

"Lasser wasn't it?"

"That is my name," Pidge answered honestly. "May I help you with anything?"

"My father said that there was a guy named Lasser that did some bad things not so long ago," the boy who had called his name stated. Pidge recognized him from one of his classes. Jerrick, a senior, 5 years older than he was, and about twice as tall. "You related to 'em?"

Pidge pushed his glasses up further on his nose. "Im not familiar with anyone who has the same name as I do," he said. "Im not from here."

"Balto wasn't it?"

"Yes."

The boy smiled. "He was from Balto, as well."

And before Pidge could react, he suddenly saw stars, and was face down in the grass below him. As he tried to sit up, he felt another punch that sent him into the tree he was sitting against. His glasses, now long gone, all he could see was a colorful blur of images in front of him.

"My grandfather died because of him," Jerrick stated. "How did the academy accept the son of a rat bastard, who betrayed the alliance and had his garrison slaughtered?"

Pidge searched frantically the ground before him for his glasses. But before he could, he felt someone pick him up and hold him by his neck against the tree. Pidge gasped as he struggled against the hold on him.

"Trash like you will only end up betraying us again," he stated. "Why should we trust you? He was your father, and like your father, you will end up betraying us all!"

"I dont even know my father!" Pidge choked out.

"The academy doesn't need traitors here," Jerrick stated. "And Im going to make you pay for what he did to my family."

"Jerrick! That's enough!"

Pidge breathed in deeply when he felt the hand that was holding him against the tree yanked from him. A dark blur stood in front of him as he searched around for his glasses. Then he felt a hand grab him by his elbow, and someone gently placing his glasses in his hand.

"Hey, its gonna be alright."

Pidge quickly put on his glasses, to see that a dark haired boy was holding Jerrick back as the three other cadets stood by and watched. To his side, a young brown haired boy helped him to his feet, cleaning off the grass that was stuck to his clothes.

"Let go of me, Takashi!" Jerrick yelled as he tried to release himself from the hold that Keith held on him.

Pidge was dumbfounded. He watched as Jerrick struggled in the dark haired boy's arms, and when he tried to strike out at him, the dark haired boy simply ducked and pulled him into an arm lock.

"So, Jerrick, you think its fair for you to fight someone younger and smaller than you?" Keith asked as he pushed the boy away. "When Hunk leaves, you figure that its time for you to pounce on him?"

Jerrick sneered at him. "Why are you protecting him, Takashi?" Jerrick asked. "YOU know who his father was. What he did."

"And what does he have to do with it?" Keith asked. "Last I looked, this boy didn't do anything to you."

"He's the son of a traitor," Jerrick stated. "Traitors do not belong at the academy."

"Last I looked, you weren't Admiral Benson," Keith stated. "Nor are you Marshall Graham. So if you have a gripe, take it up with them."

Jerrick could only mumble under his breath as he eyed the three boys, sneering before turning to leave with the cadets he had come with.

Keith turned to Lance as he helped Pidge collect his books and paperwork and smiled as he approached them.

"How are you?"

Pidge couldn't find his voice as he stared up at the young boy who stood before him. "Im...Im fine," he stammered.

"Sorry we should have been here ealier, but we got delayed by Professor Muniz," Lance stated. "We're Hunk's friends."

"Hunk's friends?" Pidge asked.

"Yeah, he asked us to look after you while he is on vacation with his family," Keith said as he knelt down to him. "Im Keith Takashi."

Pidge looked to his extended hand and slowly took it. "Keith Takashi?" he asked. "As in Admiral Takashi's son?"

Keith slowly nodded. "You heard of my father?"

Pidge smiled. "My mother...she used to serve with your father, a long time ago," he said.

"Well then, at least we have that in common," Keith said. "This is Lance, he's my roommate."

Pidge turned to the brown haired boy as he handed him his bag. "Dont worry about Jerrick," Lance stated. "If anything, he'll get what's coming to him."

"Im sorry to have put you through this," Pidge stated. "I've always been..picked on."

"Hey, dont worry," Lance stated. "That's what me and Keith here will help you out on."

"What?" Pidge asked.

"Listen, Pidge, those boys, like the others who used to pick on you, they only do so because they feel the need to make people feel bad about themselves," Keith stated. "It makes them feel as if they have the power to control you. By picking on you, they think that they are able to tell you what you can do."

"Then you know about...that is..."

Lance placed his hand on his shoulder. "It wasn't something that could have been kept a secret for long," Lance stated. "How long have you known?"

Pidge sighed. "When I was researching for a class project, I learned of what my...father did...all those years ago," he said. But he then looked to them. "You guys dont care?"

"Last I looked, you were Pidge Lasser," Keith said. "Not Galvin Lasser."

"What can I do to keep those boys from picking on me?" Pidge asked.

"If you promise to listen to what we say, we promise that you will forget all those who picked on you, and you'll definitely be a little more confident in who you are," Lance said.

Pidge slowly nodded. "What can you guys teach me?"

Lance smiled. "Oh a few things," he said.

"What do you know about Karate?"

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Allura read over the file in earnest, then placed it down on the table before her. "Galvin Lasser?" she asked. "I didn't know."

Benson slowly nodded. "You're familiar with what he did?"

Allura nodded. "Who isn't?" she asked. "Took his garrison into a skirmish with the Drule forces near the Cerrulean Quadrant, and when his commanders realized it was a trap, he had them killed. It was later learned that he had defected to the Drule side, and has been serving under them." She then looked to him. "Were your concerns about those reports that Graham intercepted true?" she asked. "Was it Galvin looking for his sons?"

Benson nodded. "We found out about 6 months after we transferred the boys to the new academies who was sending the messages to the Drule outpost," he said. "It was an officer that served under Galvin, but Galvin had ordered him to stay behind to keep an eye on his sons. When it was time, Galvin wanted to bring his sons over to the Drule Empire."

"So Galvin was still alive?"

"Yes, and he learned that both of his sons were highly gifted, and he wanted to use their gifts as leverage," Benson stated. "When we questioned the officer, we learned that Galvin was fast losing his usefulness to the Drule Empire and he needed some kind of barter to make sure they didn't do away with him. He offered to retrieve his sons, and hope to use their intelligence to improve their technology."

"And by moving his sons away from Balto...what happened?"

"Galvin was found a year later," Benson stated. "Slave ship heading to a remote Drule aligned planet. One of our squadrons intercepted it and were able to free the slaves on board. That's when they discovered that he was aboard. I never told Pidge or Chip that we had found their father."

Allura nodded. "What happened to him?"

"He is currently serving a life sentence on Balto," Benson stated. "Though, we have him under solitary confinement, as we last heard, the Drule Empire is more than willing to see him assassinated because they fear that he would betray them and reveal to us the secrets he learned while he served under them."

"And has he?"

Benson shook his head. "And we dont plan on pressing him either. What he's done, is in the past, he's paying for his crimes, and there is nothing more that we can do."

"Thanks for sharing this with me, Admiral," Allura stated. "Pidge has been nothing but an inspiration to our team, considering his age. To know of his history, only makes me realize the hardships he had to endure, and how lucky that he had so many people willing to look after his welfare, despite a history tainted by sins of his own father."

Benson nodded. "Hunk really took to Pidge like a big brother," he said. "That first year was difficult for him, since he had to start over again. Hunk helped him through it, and when Keith and Lance offered to help the boy learn to protect himself, he began to show a confidence that was certainly foreign to him."

Allura nodded. "And confidence is something that he cherishes," she said. With a smile she slowly handed a disc to the Admiral. "As before, a review by Coran, myself, and this time from Commander Takashi."

Benson smiled. "I guess that would be appropriate."

"Admiral, as you already know, with the destruction of Balto, Pidge has been made a citizen of Arus," she said as she leaned forward. "Pidge has found a home here on Arus, and has been very important to the recovery and rebuilding of what we have lost over the years. He is still a child, and he knows that he is, which is why the children here also looks up to him as a mentor, and a peer. There is nothing more than my wish that he understands that his coming here has been a blessing to my people."

Benson nodded. "I'll read over your report, princess," he said. "And because of his dual citizenship, the Alliance knows that whatever we deem necessary for his placement and possible promotion, that he is the one to decide his future."

Allura smiled. "Im sure that he will more than likely appreciate that you have faith in his judgement."

Benson nodded. "Now, its not normal for me to ask this, but one last review to do, however because of the circumstance surrounding Sven's case, I know you were not prepared for it," he stated. "So, Im just going to base his review on questions I ask of you."

Allura nodded as she looked down at the last file she held in her hands. Sven Richardson. The man that had been nearly killed in his duty to protect Lance from Haggar's attack, and then survived the turmoil he experienced on Doom. The man she had replaced as the pilot for Blue Lion.

"Sven was only with us for a short time, Admiral," Allura stated. "But know that he was instrumental in helping us push back Zarkon's forces. He is an asset to the Alliance that we can never forget."

Benson nodded. "The reason why we need a review done for him is that he has recently sent in a request to leave service and we are trying to determine what would be best for him."

"Leaving?"

Benson smiled. "Seems that he's grown accustomed to life on Pollux, and has been offered a position within the court under King Bandor," he said. "Its only customary that we allow him to retire from service, so that he can concentrate on serving them."

"I see," Allura said with a smile. "Well, Admiral, it seems from the stories you shared thus far, the friendship that they all shared was a unique one. What kind of story does Sven have?"

Benson nodded. "One last tale?"

"Last tale?" Allura asked. "Oh, Admiral, you mean its the start of a whole new one."

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